Giants Overpower Royals to Win World Series Magical Bumgarner Joins World Series Legends
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Sports43 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014 Giants overpower Royals to win World Series Magical Bumgarner joins World Series legends Hamilton seeks to divert attention from problems AUSTIN: World championship leader Lewis Hamilton will bid to divert attention from Formula One’s looming financial crisis by seeking his fifth consecutive race win at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. The 29- year-old Briton leads Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg of Germany by 17 points with three races remaining, and 100 points avail- able, as he sets himself to claim his 10th win of the season at the Circuit of the Americas. After a tense, close and often acrimonious struggle with Rosberg, Hamilton knows he cannot relax, notably because next month’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is worth double points. That means Rosberg will retain a mathematical title chance if he is within 50 points of the Englishman after the next two races in America and Brazil. Hamilton came away from the Russian Grand Prix on October 12 with 291 points to Rosberg’s 274. Rosberg has no intention of giving up and KANSAS CITY: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (right) gets a hug from Pablo Sandoval as Bumgarner any fans disgruntled at the absences of the won the MVP trophy after their 3-2 win against the Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of baseball’s World Series on Wednesday, Oct Marussia and Caterham teams from the grid 29, 2014. —AP will at least be assured of a potentially fero- cious scrap for glory at the front of Sunday’s KANSAS CITY: A giant, indeed. Madison “What a warrior he is, and truly incredible on a 99 mph fastball from reliever Kelvin race. “It’s still all to play for in the battle for the Bumgarner punctuated his World Series per- what he did throughout the postseason,” Herrera to break a 2-all tie, and the Giants eked formance for the ages by pitching the San Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I just told out a battle of bullpens on a night when both drivers’ championship and I won’t be giving Francisco Giants to their third championship in him I just can’t believe what he accomplished starting pitchers made unusually quick exits. up the fight until the flag drops in Abu Dhabi,” five years with a 3-2 win over the Kansas City through all this. He’s such a humble guy, and The Giants were dubbed a “Band of Misfits” in said Rosberg. “Hopefully, we can keep the Royals on Wednesday night. The big left-han- we rode him pretty good.” Three days after 2010 when they beat Texas to win the fran- entertainment going right to the end for the der came out of the bullpen to throw five throwing 117 pitches in a four-hit shutout to chise’s first title since 1954 in New York. Two fans out there enjoying the contest.” Hamilton scoreless innings on two days’ rest, saving a win Game 5, Bumgarner tossed 68 more and years later, they swept Detroit for another knows what to expect, but will compete in Series pushed to the limit. And by winning dropped his record-low career Series ERA to a championship. And this time, they became the supremely confident mood after successive Game 7 on the road, Bumgarner and the minuscule 0.25. He’s allowed one run and 14 second NL team with three titles in a five-year wins in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Russia. Giants succeeded where no team had in 3 1/2 hits in five outings covering 36 innings. “Yeah, span, matching Stan Musial’s St Louis Cardinals The same period saw Marussia’s French decades. it was hopeless,” Royals manager Ned Yost of 1942-46. driver Jules Bianchi suffer severe head injuries “I wasn’t thinking about innings or pitch said. Every other year. It’s the closest thing to a when he crashed into a recovery vehicle in count. I was just thinking about getting outs, Bumgarner initially was credited with the baseball dynasty in the 21st century. Home Japan and the recent withdrawal of his team getting outs, until I couldn’t get them anymore win. But nearly an hour after the final out, the teams had won nine straight Game 7s in the and Caterham from the American contest. and we needed someone else,” Bumgarner official scorers awarded it to Jeremy Affeldt, Series since Pittsburgh’s victory at Baltimore in That meant this weekend’s race will see only said in a monotone that made it sound as who was in the game when San Francisco took 1979, including the Royals’ 11-0 rout of St. nine teams supplying the 18 cars on the small- though he was talking about batting practice. the lead. Affeldt pitched 2 1-3 innings of score- Louis in 1985. Teams hosting the first two est grid for a Formula One race since the 2005 A two-out misplay in the ninth almost wrecked less relief in his longest outing since July 2012. games had won 23 of the last 28 titles, includ- it for him. Bumgarner had retired 14 in a row He was helped by the first World Series reversal ing five in a row. And the Giants had lost all Monaco Grand Prix. Both Marussia and when Alex Gordon sent a drive to center field. in the era of expanded replay, which gave the four of their previous World Series pushed to Caterham have suffered financial and other The pitcher pointed his glove in the air, think- Giants a double play on Eric Hosmer’s sharp the limit. But before a pumped-up, blue-and- problems and paddock observers believe that ing it could be the final out, but the ball fell in grounder. white-clad crowd of 40,535 that hoped noise other teams, notably Sauber and Lotus, could front of Gregor Blanco for a single. Rookie second baseman Joe Panik made a and passion could lift the small-market Royals also be threatened by similar difficulties as the Blanco allowed it to skip past him to the diving stop and flipped to Crawford with his to a title that seemed improbable when sport’s distribution of wealth comes under wall, and left fielder Juan Perez kicked the ball glove for the relay, a key play that prevented a Kansas City was languishing two games under scrutiny. Both teams are under administration before throwing to shortstop Brandon potential Royals rally. Bumgarner joined .500 in mid-July, the Giants won the second all- and may not race again this year. Crawford in short left, holding Gordon at third. Cincinnati’s Rawley Eastwick in 1975 as the wild card World Series, 12 years after losing But at the other end of the paddock, there “When it got by him, I had a smile on my face. I only pitchers with at least two wins and a save Game 7 to the Angels in the first. is a more optimistic mood engendered by the thought maybe I could score, but he got to it in a World Series, and the 15-out save set a Fall Hudson and Guthrie combined for 15 outs - upbeat approach of Australian Daniel quickly enough,” Gordon said. “I just put my Classic record. With it all, Bumgarner etched matching the fewest by Game 7 starters. Ricciardo, winner of three races this year, who head down and ran, almost fell around second his place in postseason lore among the likes of Hudson, at 39, became the oldest Game 7 is relishing his return to the United States with base, was just waiting for Jirsch (third base Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, starter. The 35-year-old Guthrie took the loss. Red Bull. “Hand on heart, this is probably the coach Mike Jirschele) to give me the signal. It Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Randy Johnson, With his shaggy hair making him look every bit was a good hold. He had the ball in plenty of Curt Schilling and David Ortiz - players whose a gunslinger, Bumgarner entered to boos in date on the calendar I look forward to the time.” indelible October performances led their team the bottom of the fifth for his first relief most,” he said. “I’ve loved every minute of From there, Blanco hoped for the best. to titles. Posey expected Bumgarner to throw appearance since the 2010 NL playoffs. He being in Austin: when they picked this place “We just need one more out. We got this. three innings, then turn over the game to set- coated his long arms with rosin and groomed for the US Grand Prix, they absolutely nailed it. Let’s do it,” he thought to himself. Bumgarner, up man Sergio Romo and closer Santiago the pocked-up mound with his spikes. “The city is awesome. I love listening to live the Series MVP, retired Salvador Perez on a Casilla - who threw four pitches in the entire Bumgarner gave up an opposite-field single to music and this is a great place for that, plus foulout to third baseman Pablo Sandoval near Series. “But he just kept rolling,” Posey said. “I his first batter, Infante, and didn’t allow anoth- Texas feels like real America, and that’s some- the Giants’ dugout. The 25-year-old ace was mean, it’s unbelievable.” Consecutive sacrifice er runner until the ninth. Bumgarner yielded thing I’ve really enjoyed just sinking into the immediately embraced by catcher Buster flies by Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford two hits, struck out four and walked none.